Chapter 159 Smart Parking Lot

Lu Cheng’an was suddenly startled, his eyes widening as his face filled with disbelief. He blurted out subconsciously, “Princess Ningyu? But… but… she’s a woman!”

From the beliefs ingrained in him since childhood, women were meant to manage the household while men handled external affairs. Ascending the throne and ruling the nation had always been a man’s responsibility—no one had ever dared to associate a princess with being the ruler of a country.

Xie Dingnian, however, gently shook his head. His tone carried a sense of clarity and acceptance that came from experiencing much of the world. “After staying here for so long, seeing many things and meeting many people, many of my once deeply rooted beliefs have slowly changed.” He looked out the window, his gaze distant. “The capable should govern, the virtuous should govern. That’s all there is to it—what’s wrong with that?”

“Look at our Sect Leader Miao—hasn’t she been leading us quite well?”

Lu Cheng’an was completely stunned into silence.

For decades of his life, everything he had been taught and witnessed told him—women should not participate in politics, should not govern, and should not ascend the throne.

He never expected to hear such words, let alone from Xie Dingnian himself.

He stared blankly at Xie Dingnian for a long while before murmuring, his tone filled with complexity, “Sir… you’ve truly changed. If this were in the past, you would never have said something like this.”

Xie Dingnian gave a wry smile. He lifted his teacup and took a light sip of the now lukewarm tea, a hint of powerlessness in his eyes. “I’m only thinking about it, nothing more. The world rises and falls, human hearts are unpredictable, and destiny cannot be defied. I am merely a retired and idle man now; I’ve long lost the vigor I had in my younger days, and I no longer dare to hope for any great upheaval or transformation.

“I only hope that this world sees less conflict and fewer sacrifices, that the people can eat their fill, stay warm, and live stable lives…

“That alone is enough.”

Hua Ying worked very efficiently and soon handed over the five design drafts to Miao Yunyou.

Each draft was meticulously refined—rolling on the ground with a belly exposed in a comical and adorable way, curling into a fluffy ball while sleeping with a lazy and soft charm, tilting its head in a playful and lively manner, baring its teeth in a cute yet slightly fierce expression, and another sitting obediently with its tail hanging down. Every design featured smooth lines and vivid details, perfectly blending the charm of chibi style with the liveliness of the cloud-patterned leopard cats.

After reviewing them, Miao Yunyou was very satisfied and immediately scanned and submitted them to the manufacturer.

The factory also found the designs quite good and promised to produce the first version within two days, working quickly to ensure delivery of the initial batch of 1,000 units before New Year’s Day.

After finalizing the merchandise plan, Miao Yunyou’s attention soon shifted to another urgent matter.

As the resort’s reputation continued to grow, more and more tourists were coming each day, and self-driving visitors were also increasing.

In the past, when there were few visitors, the open space at the foot of the mountain was wide, and people could park anywhere without causing much issue, so no formal parking area had ever been planned.

But now, the situation had changed completely.

On weekends or holidays, the area below the mountain would be densely packed with vehicles, parked in a disorderly manner—some blocking entrances, some trampling roadside flowers and plants, and some even stopping directly in front of the entrance. Not only was it messy and unsightly, but it also easily led to minor collisions, disputes, and posed significant safety hazards.

If nothing is done about it, problems are bound to arise sooner or later.

Moreover, in January, the International Martial Arts Exchange Tournament will be held here. At that time, martial artists and referees from all over the world, along with spectators from various regions, will gather here. There will even be many foreign visitors coming to observe. If they were to see such a chaotic scene at the foot of the mountain—with vehicles parked in complete disorder—wouldn’t it become a laughingstock?

Thinking of this, Miao Yunyou could no longer sit still. She immediately took out her phone and urgently contacted a construction company for consultation.

Based on Miao Yunyou’s requirements and the actual conditions of the site, the construction company planned a parking lot with a total area of approximately 22,500 square meters. Using a standard of 15 square meters per parking space, it could accommodate 1,500 vehicles. Entrances and exits would be located on the east and west sides of the site, each side having one entrance and one exit, forming a dual-entry, dual-exit system to effectively prevent traffic congestion.

For civil engineering, the plan recommended using asphalt paving. Although it is slightly more expensive than concrete, it offers better flatness and wear resistance, and is easier to maintain in the long term—well suited for frequent vehicle flow. The site would also be graded with proper slopes, combined with a complete drainage system including drainage ditches and rainwater wells, ensuring no water accumulation on rainy days and preventing vehicles from slipping. At the entrances and exits, four concrete safety islands would be installed to mount barrier gates and license plate recognition systems, ensuring orderly vehicle flow.

Transportation infrastructure would also be comprehensively planned. Professional markings would be used to clearly define parking spaces, guide lines, and directional arrows, with each parking space numbered for easy identification by visitors. Speed bumps, reflective mirrors, and protective corners would be installed at entrances, exits, and intersections to ensure driving safety from all angles. High-mast lights and courtyard lights would be installed throughout the site to provide sufficient nighttime illumination with no blind spots. In addition, a full set of traffic signs would be deployed, including entrance guidance, exit directions, speed limits, and no-parking notices, to guide visitors in proper parking behavior.

The automated billing system would adopt an unattended model. Each of the dual-entry and dual-exit lanes would be equipped with a high-definition AI license plate recognition all-in-one machine, barrier gate, ground loop detectors, and fill lights, supporting automatic license plate recognition, automatic timing, and automatic billing. Self-service payment terminals would be installed inside the parking area and at the exits, supporting multiple payment methods such as WeChat Pay and Alipay. At the same time, a server, network switches, and UPS backup power supply would be provided to ensure the system continues operating normally during power outages without affecting vehicle access. The entire site would be covered by high-definition surveillance with no blind spots, combined with parking management software and a cloud platform, allowing remote monitoring of operations, reconciliation, and report generation—making management convenient and efficient.

They even thoughtfully included 30 accessible parking spaces to meet the needs of people with special requirements. A simple restroom and garbage collection point would be set up in a corner of the site for visitor convenience. Additionally, 50 new energy charging stations would be installed, not only to meet the needs of electric vehicle owners but also to further enhance the overall quality of the parking facility.

Miao Yunyou listened, stunned, with only one thought in her mind: professional—truly professional.

After all, her understanding of a parking lot had been limited to simply grabbing a bucket of paint and drawing a bunch of rectangles on the ground. She had never imagined that a standardized and practical parking lot would require consideration of so many details and involve such a wide range of specialized facilities and planning.

However, this highly professional plan would cost 3.5 million yuan to implement.

Miao Yunyou: “……”

Wait—how is it that just letting visitors park their cars ends up costing her so much money?

Is that reasonable?

The construction company clearly understood her silence and professionally continued, “According to the usual market rates in Zhangjiajie, the parking fee for scenic areas is capped at 30 yuan per day. Based on your resort’s visitor traffic, the average parking occupancy rate can reach over 60%. In that case, the daily revenue would be—

1500 × 60% × 30 = 27,000 yuan.

Monthly revenue would be about 810,000 yuan.

In this way, the investment can be recovered in about four to five months.”

After hearing this calculation, Miao Yunyou remained silent for a long time. In the end, she could only sigh helplessly and say, “Alright… fine.”

Forget it, forget it. It could only be this way.

Waaah… the cost of half a bag of tea leaves… gone…